and she got a dress, workbooks, cooking oil, and biscuits. It made me cry that cooking oil and biscuits were in that much need that she’d spend birthday money on that. The photo of her in the new outfit with her mother was precious.

a cow, a chicken and a new dress. The dress she was wearing in the original sponsor picture was full of holes and patched. She was smiling so cute in her picture and holding her chicken tight. The letter said that every day when she gets home, if she can’t find her chicken, she asks her mom where it is!

I gave a family gift to my sponsored child living in Peru, and was amazed at what a difference it made in his (and their) life. Aymar is 7, and his family’s home was destroyed last year in the devastating earthquake that struck the region. I sent the gift, not knowing how his family was impacted. It was only after I discovered (through one of his letters) that the family had been living in a tent since the earthquake. His very next letter was a ‘thank you’ for the gift, along with a picture of Aymar standing next to what was purchased with the gift: a mattress, a chest of drawers, clothing, food, etc.

Today, I just got a letter from a little boy that Monét Monico and I sponsor in Burkina Faso. I had sent him a gift for food, because of the global food crisis and he sent me a letter back with thanks and a picture. You can see the picture here:

and our sweet little girl in Brazil thought of her family. They used a small gift to buy new clothes, a doll for her, toy cars for her brothers and dry goods that would fill their pantry for a bit. (one time, a gift went to purchase undergarments for her mother b/c there was such need.)

amazing of what a ‘small’ amount of money here in the u.s. can do large things elsewhere.

..and my LDP student wrote and said that though she had thought about using the money to buy something for herself, she decided to use the money to buy food for her family and share her blessings with them.

..and got a letter from her parents. They said that they had been afraid because they had been three months behind on their electric bill and had no way to pay it. They said they had been praying for God to help them and that God had answered their prayers through me as their daughter’s sponsor. They were able to pay their bills and had some money left over to buy clothes for their daughter.

And we got back a letter thanking us for his roll away bed because he didn’t have to sleep with his mother and 2 brothers any more. He also sent a picture of himself smiling as he posed by his new bed holding new underwear and some Hotwheel cars. We cried!

Ansley, I suggest you call 800-336-7676 and ask the representative you speak to. He or she will probably know. (Tip: When the automated outgoing message comes on, hit 0 on your keypad to move the call along.)